Carl Nielsen, Quintet Op. 43 Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) ranks perhaps as Denmark’s most important composer, certainly one who plays an important role in the country’s artistic identity. He is also a study in contrasts. He may be classified as a nationalistic composer, and this owes … Read more
The days leading up to summer’s end led us to focus on preparation. Now, a different type of preparation occupies many of our fellow-citizens: preparation for Hurricane Florence. And because we just moved to North Carolina, the advance of this storm isn’t an abstract headline. … Read more
Chopin, Mazurka in B Minor, Op. 33, No. 4 The mazurka is a Polish folk dance derived from two older dance forms, the Kujawiak and Oberek. In the Kujawiak, dancers walked to a slow tempo making graceful turns. In contrast, the Oberek is much faster, … Read more
My phone’s camera went down midway on this voyage. No matter how many videos and files I off-loaded, it would not restore itself. It’s done. It’s tired. But before the camera expired, I got this picture. I took it standing on a wooden walkway that … Read more
Satie, Gymnopédie 1 & 2 Eric Satie (1866-1925) was technically not a member of the group of composers known as Les six (discussed in last week’s Performance Pick). On the other hand, he was in some ways the group’s founder. Satie had a generation’s head start … Read more
I’m sitting at my brother’s dining-room table looking at piles of stuff, otherwise known as a mess. It has to be sorted out before I can sleep. Tomorrow I head off to Russia with a Smithsonian group for another chance to sail the Russian Waterways. … Read more
Milhaud, Le Boeuf sur le Toit The bull on the roof? Now there’s one problem we never had to deal with back on the ranch. Our bulls stayed peacefully (mostly) in the pasture, and none of our neighbors (who loved to tell stories) ever mentioned … Read more
The note on now-yellowing paper, printed with a dot-matrix printer, lies in front of me. It reads: Dear Professor, This may sound like a bad excuse, and it may be one, for all I know, but I wanted to explain why my paper is so … Read more
Crumb, Voice of the Whale And now for something completely different. The American composer George Crumb (b. 1929) pushed many of the boundaries in 20th-century avant garde music. But unlike some of his contemporaries, he didn’t do it merely as an experiment or for shock … Read more
Time for “Back-to-School.” Really? Engulfed in August heat, it’s hard to summon up even a smidgen of Norman Rockwellian imagery about the crisp days of fall that once heralded the start of school. Yet, clearly we’re headed back. Stores are piled high with mazes of … Read more